U.S. patent number 7,740,058 [Application Number 11/866,516] was granted by the patent office on 2010-06-22 for plate heat exchanger.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Modine Manufacturing Company. Invention is credited to Andreas Koepke, Reinhard Wehrmann.
United States Patent |
7,740,058 |
Koepke , et al. |
June 22, 2010 |
Plate heat exchanger
Abstract
The invention relates to a plate heat exchanger, composed of
trough-shaped heat exchanger plates which are stacked one in the
other and whose edges bear against one another. The plates can have
flow ducts, located between the heat exchanger plates for a cooling
fluid and for another fluid. The flow ducts are fitted with inserts
in the form of turbulator plates. The heat exchanger can include at
least four inlet and outlet openings in the corners of the heat
exchanger plates which form two vertical ducts for the cooling
fluid and two vertical ducts for the other fluid in the stack. The
inserts in the flow ducts for the cooling fluid are embodied in one
part or a plurality of parts. The flow ducts for the cooling fluid
are equipped, in the regions around the openings, with plate-like
inserts which have guide ducts with a width, and are provided with
the turbulator plate in a central region between the plate-like
inserts. The openings can be arranged right in the corners in such
a way that only a narrow strip remains, which is occupied by a
guide duct which is formed in the plate-like inserts and which has
a significantly smaller width than the width of the other guide
ducts.
Inventors: |
Koepke; Andreas (Filderstadt,
DE), Wehrmann; Reinhard (Reutlingen, DE) |
Assignee: |
Modine Manufacturing Company
(Racine, WI)
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Family
ID: |
39184874 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/866,516 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2007 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20080236802 A1 |
Oct 2, 2008 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 12, 2006 [DE] |
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10 2006 048 305 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
165/167; 165/916;
165/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F
3/10 (20130101); F28F 13/12 (20130101); F28F
3/044 (20130101); F28D 9/005 (20130101); F28F
3/046 (20130101); F28F 3/025 (20130101); Y10S
165/916 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F28F
3/06 (20060101); F28F 9/24 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;165/153,167,174,916 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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19709601 |
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Sep 1998 |
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DE |
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0819906 |
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Jan 1998 |
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EP |
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0819907 |
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Jan 1998 |
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EP |
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1152204 |
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Nov 2001 |
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EP |
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2054817 |
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Feb 1981 |
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GB |
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9429659 |
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Dec 1994 |
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WO |
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9535474 |
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Dec 1995 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Leo; Leonard R
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Michael Best & Friedrich
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A plate heat exchanger comprising: a plurality of stacked
trough-shaped heat exchanger plates having edges bearing against
one another, having at least four inlet and outlet openings in the
corners of the heat exchanger plates which form two vertical ducts
for a cooling fluid and two vertical ducts for a second fluid in
the stack, and providing flow ducts located between the heat
exchanger plates for the cooling fluid and for the second fluid,
the flow ducts being fitted with inserts; wherein at least one of
the inserts includes plate-like sections including the openings and
a plurality of guide ducts with a width formed to receive the
cooling fluid, and a turbulence generator in a central region
between the plate-like sections; wherein the openings are arranged
in the corners in such a way that only a narrow strip remains
between each opening and a respective edge, the narrow strip
including a guide duct which has a significantly smaller width than
the width of the other guide ducts.
2. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each insert is
formed as a single piece.
3. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each insert is
formed from at least three parts, wherein two plate-like sections
which have the guide ducts are provided, and at least one
turbulator plate is arranged as a turbulence generator in the
central region.
4. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a projection is
formed on at least one edge of the plate-like inserts to serve as a
positioning aid during assembly.
5. The plate heat exchanger of claim 4, wherein the projection
engages in a groove on the edge of an inlet or outlet opening.
6. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein positioning aids
are formed on the edge of the openings assigned to the flow duct
for the cooling fluid.
7. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the narrow strip
formed with the guide duct has an approximately quarter circle
shape.
8. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein approximately half
of each of the guide ducts are formed from a shaped edge of the
insert, and an other half is formed by the edge of the two heat
exchanger plates between which the insert is located.
9. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the guide ducts
each have an inlet opening and an outlet opening, an arcuate
profile and are aligned with the two openings in the heat exchanger
plates which provide the flow duct with the coolant.
10. The plate heat exchanger of claim 9, wherein the inlet openings
or the outlet openings are located approximately on a straight line
on one side of the inserts, and at various distances in front of
the openings on the other side.
11. The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the straight line
lies in each case at the junction with the central region, and is
approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal side of the heat
exchanger plates.
12. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a one-piece
turbulator plate is arranged in the flow ducts for the other fluid.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Priority is hereby claimed to German Patent Application No. DE 10
2006 048 305.7, filed Oct. 12, 2006, the entire contents of which
is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger and a
method of assembling the same.
SUMMARY
German Patent No. DE 197 09 601 A1 discloses a conventional plate
heat exchanger. In its flow ducts it has turbulence plates (i.e.,
lamellas), which are divided into sections in order to reduce the
pressure loss. The sections are always composed of the same type of
turbulence plates, the sections being rotated through 90.degree. in
each case with respect to the adjacent section. They are matched to
one another in shape in such a way that no gaps are produced.
Nevertheless, as has become apparent, the overall pressure loss is
undesirably high and the internal pressure stability is in need of
improvement.
EP 1 152 204 B1 discloses a plate heat exchanger having horizontal
flow ducts intended for the coolant and an additional plate located
between two heat exchanger plates. This additional plate includes
longitudinal beads of any shape which serve to deflect or guide the
fluid. As a result, uniform distribution of the heat exchanging
fluid over the entire heat exchanger plate is achieved. In
addition, the additional plate improves the internal pressure
stability and also the resistance to changing temperature stress of
the heat exchanger. However, this configuration has the
disadvantage that the fluid in the central region of the heat
exchanger has a largely laminar flow. For this reason, the exchange
of heat is not optimum and could be improved.
The invention of the present application makes available a plate
heat exchanger which is optimized in terms of the pressure loss and
the heat exchanging efficiency without at the same time adversely
affecting the internal pressure stability and resistance to
changing temperature stress. The solution according to the present
invention is obtained by a plate heat exchanger.
It is proposed that in each case that an insert which, in regions
around the openings, has plate-like sections in which guide ducts
having a width (B) are formed for the cooling fluid. The insert can
include a turbulence generator in a central region between the
plate-like sections. The openings can be arranged in the corners in
such a way that only a narrow strip remains, which is occupied by a
guide duct which has a significantly smaller width (b) than the
width (B) of the other guide ducts.
The proposed inserts may be formed as one piece. This is
appropriate for very high numbers of heat exchangers since a
corresponding tool entails costs. However, they are preferably
formed with at least three parts, with in each case two plate-like
inserts which have the guide ducts being provided in a flow duct,
and with at least one turbulence generator being arranged in the
central region. This measure which is preferred here is more
advantageous for relatively small numbers of heat exchangers. In
addition, different thicknesses of sheet metal plates can be used,
that is to say for example the plate-like inserts can be made
slightly thicker than the starting material (sheet-metal strip) for
the turbulence generator.
Because the flow ducts for the cooling fluid are equipped in the
regions around the openings with plate-like inserts or sections
which have guide ducts, the internal pressure stability is
comparatively improved since the plate-like inserts or sections
make available larger surfaces which are soldered, welded, or
brazed to the adjoining heat exchanger plates. At the same time,
the pressure loss is kept moderate because less turbulence occurs
in the aforementioned regions. In addition, because a lamella is
arranged as a turbulence generator in a central region between the
plate-like inserts or sections, the heat exchanging efficiency is
improved because comparatively more turbulence is generated in the
central region. Because the openings are arranged right in the
corners to such an extent that only a narrow strip remains, which
is occupied with a guide duct which is formed in the plate-like
inserts or sections and which has a substantially smaller width
compared to the other guide ducts, the entire heat exchanging
surface is enlarged by comparison or at least involved better in
the exchange of heat, which has positive effects on efficiency.
In order to make a contribution to quality assurance when
manufacturing the plate heat exchanger, a positioning aid, for
example a projection, can also or alternatively be provided on at
least one opening edge of the plate-like inserts. The positioning
aid engages in a groove at the edge of the inlet or outlet opening.
Incorrect stacking of the heat exchanger plates or of the
plate-like inserts is prevented. The positioning aids can be formed
on the edge of those openings which are assigned to the flow duct
for the cooling fluid.
A further advantage of forming a guide duct in the aforementioned
narrow strip has proven to be that the quality of the soldering,
welding, or brazing in the corner regions was improved. This is due
to the fact that the guide duct present there has clearly
restricted what is referred to as the "sagging" of the corners at a
soldering, welding, or brazing temperature and under the effect of
a force which is directed at the plates of the plate heat exchanger
during the soldering, welding, or brazing process. The guide duct
opposes this force with a component and therefore makes the corners
more dimensionally stable. This can also be understood if it is
considered that the height of the flow ducts is only a few
millimeters, sometimes only between 1 and 2 mm. The narrow strips
which are formed with a guide duct have approximately a quarter
circle shape. The guide ducts are partially formed from a shaped
edge of the plate-like inserts or sections and partially by the
edge of two heat exchanger plates. A one-part lamella is located in
the flow ducts for the other fluid. In the case of an oil cooler,
the other flow ducts are those for the oil.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by
consideration of the detailed description and accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described below in an exemplary embodiment, in
relation to which reference is made to the appended drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an "open" plate heat exchanger;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plate heat exchanger according to FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 shows a detail from FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a section through the narrow side of part of the plate
heat exchanger;
FIG. 5 shows the detail from FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 shows a detail of a lamella.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the details of construction and the arrangement of
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in
the following drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in
various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including,"
"comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to
encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as
well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise,
the terms "mounted," "connected," "supported," and "coupled" and
variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and
indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further,
"connected" and "coupled" are not restricted to physical or
mechanical connections or couplings.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a plate heat exchanger 1, which
can be an oil cooler, but which could also serve other heat
exchanging or heat transferring purposes. The heat exchanger 1 has
been illustrated in an open view, i.e. without upper end plates or
housing plates. In particular, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the interior of a
flow duct 31 through which a first fluid (e.g., a coolant) flows.
In addition, the heat exchanger 1 can include trough-shaped heat
exchanger plates 11 with upturned edges 111 bearing against the
upturned edges 111 of adjacent plates 11. Flow ducts 31 for a
liquid coolant are formed between adjacent pairs of heat exchanger
plates 11. Other flow ducts 32 for a second fluid, such as, for
example, oil can also be seen.
The inlet and outlet openings 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the heat exchanger
plates 11 form ducts which run perpendicularly to the
aforementioned flow ducts 31, 32. The coolant and the oil pass into
the heat exchanger 1 through connectors 30 located at the top or
bottom of the heat exchanger 1, and the coolant and the oil also
exit the heat exchanger 1 again in this manner. Some or all of the
connectors 30 can optionally be arranged either on the top plate or
bottom plate, or alternatively, the connectors 30 can be
distributed on the bottom plate and on the top plate, depending on
the requirements of the installation location or of the machine
assembly.
Turbulence insert elements 19 are provided as inserts 10 in the
flow ducts 32 for the oil (and are not shown). Plate-like inserts
10' and a turbulence insert element 19 are used for the coolant in
the flow ducts 31.
An exemplary embodiment having one-piece inserts 10' has not been
shown. In this exemplary embodiment, the inserts are plate-like
sections of the one-piece inserts which may correspond to the
plate-like inserts 10' (shown and described in more detail below).
A central region M is embodied as a turbulence generator with
corresponding ribbing or the like. The exemplary embodiment shown
has three-piece inserts 10'.
FIG. 1 shows that in the region of the inlet and outlet openings 3
and 4, as well as 2 and 5, a plate-like insert 10' is arranged in
each case. The turbulence insert element 19 has been inserted
between them in the central region M, as is shown in FIG. 6.
However, it is also possible to use any other shape of turbulence
insert element. All of the inserts 10, 10', 19 can be easily
manufactured and easily inserted to minimize manufacturing costs.
All the parts can be manufactured from planar metal sheets. They
are given the shape shown here by suitable shaping processes.
Flow-directing guide channels 14 with inflow and outflow means 13
are made in the plate-like inserts 10'. In addition, knobs or
protrusions 15, which are arranged in the vicinity of the inlet
opening or outlet opening 2 of the heat exchanger plate 11, serve
to stabilize the internal pressure and produce a certain degree of
turbulence. The guide ducts 14 can have branches. In the three-part
embodiment, they end at the edges 18, which are adjoined by the
turbulence insert element 19.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a heat exchanger plate 11 with three
inserted inserts 10' and 19. It is clearly apparent here how the
guide ducts 14 with their inflow openings 13 take up the coolant
and conduct it to the turbulence plate 19. The pressure loss is
thus kept to a minimum and at the same time the exchange of heat is
maximized. This has also made possible through the skilful and
surprisingly simple combination of the inserts 10' and 19. The
turbulence plate 19 can be inserted in such a way that the
corrugation 25 is perpendicular to the direction of flow of the
coolant.
A positioning aid 16 has been embodied at the openings in the
inserts 10' which are assigned to the inlet opening 4 and the
outlet opening 5 for the coolant. It is intended to prevent the
insert 10' from being incorrectly positioned, which would give rise
to a functionally inoperable plate heat exchanger. FIG. 3 shows the
positioning aid 16 in detail. FIG. 4 shows a vertical section
through the narrow side of the heat exchanger 1. A section through
the ducts 3 and 4 is also illustrated.
The upper terminating plate 21 forms the upper termination of the
heat exchanger 1 in the region of the ducts 3 and 4 includes
indents 22. These serve to stabilize the pressure. Here, the
connectors 30 are shown. The heat exchanger 1 is attached by means
of a connecting plate 20a. A reinforcement plate 20b is located
between the heat exchanger 1 and the connecting plate 20a. The
terminating plate 21, the connecting plate 20a and the
reinforcement plate 20b are thicker than the heat exchanger plates
11. Depending on the application in the vehicle, the various plates
can have a different sheet metal thickness. The arrows are intended
to indicate the flow of the two fluids.
FIG. 5 shows a detail of a corner region of the heat exchanger 1.
It is principally aimed at clarifying the design of the guide
channel 14' which extends in a narrow strip 50. It is clearly shown
how the edges 111 of the trough-shaped heat exchanger plates 11
engage one in the other and ensure that the heat exchanger 1 is
soldered, welded, or brazed in a sealed manner. The guide duct 14'
also serves to stabilize the heat exchanger 1 during the soldering,
brazing, or welding process.
In the corners in which the inlet and outlet openings 2, 3, 4, 5,
the heat exchanger plates of conventional heat exchangers
frequently gave way during the soldering, brazing, or welding
process. The particular feature here is that the flow is guided in
the guide duct 14' both by means of a bent over edge 17 of the
insert 10' and by the edge 111 of the heat exchanger plate 11. This
guide duct 14' has a width b which is less than the width B of the
other guide ducts 14 in the inserts 10'. In order to optimize the
area which is available for exchanging heat, the inlet and outlet
openings 2, 3, 4, 5 are placed right into the corners of the heat
exchanger plates 11.
FIG. 6 shows a section through the turbulence insert elements 19.
They have a corrugation 25 with corrugation peaks 27 and
corrugation troughs 26. In addition, sections 28, which cause the
corrugation 25 to be displaced at regular intervals, are provided
in the flanks of the corrugations. It is thus possible to generate
optimum turbulence which permits an optimum transfer of heat.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in
the following claims.
* * * * *